On September 22, 1942, a U. S. Army B-25C bomber, (41-13098), left Presque Isle Maine Army Air Base en-route to overseas duty in England when it crashed in the nearby town of Fort Fairfield, Maine, off Fort Fairfield, Road. All seven crewmen aboard were killed.

The plane was said to be flying in poor visibility conditions.

Civilian witnesses stated they saw the aircraft burst into flames while still in the air.

The dead were identified as:

(Pilot) 1st Lt. Ralph L. Drogula, 26. He’s buried in Arlington national Cemetery. Newspaper accounts list Lt. Drogula as a Second Lieutenant, but an internet photo of his grave indicates he was a First Lieutenant. (See www.findagrave.com memorial #49175499)

There was another B-25C that left Presque Isle earlier in the day which crashed in the town of Perham, Maine, just a few miles north-west of Fort Fairfield. (The tail number of that plane was 41-13049.) In that crash, the tail section was reportedly found 1/4 mile from the wreck site possibly indicating a structural failure. (See “Perham. ME – September 22, 1942” under Maine Aviation Accidents on this website for more information.)

Both aircraft were part of the 379th Bomb Squadron, 310th Bomb Group, then based in Greenville, South Carolina.